


Generation XI

by HighlyOpinionatedNerd



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Hope you like it!, Post-Canon, actually it's more like a sequel to canon, and about moving past your own prejudices and accepting the changing of the times, but mostly this is a story about found family, the OCs are the main characters here, the story is about them, this fic is to KHR what Boruto is to Naruto, warnings for mild violence and mild profanity as usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlyOpinionatedNerd/pseuds/HighlyOpinionatedNerd
Summary: Sawada Sachi has practically grown up as a member of the Vongola family. Their base was her childhood playground, the stories of their past conflicts the bedtime stories that captured her imagination as she grew up. And now that she's sixteen, she has decided that it's time to take a more active role in the organization. However, before she and her classmates seeking to join the family can be admitted, they'll face many challenges. Will they be able to learn to trust each other and fight together as a family in time to convince the tenth generation guardians that they are worthy to inherit the organization one day?
Kudos: 4





	1. The Guardians' Test

Sachi stood in the hallway, arms crossed, brow furrowed, and stared at her dad’s office door. 

Was she really going to do this now? Maybe it wasn’t the best time. He’d just gotten back from a trip to Italy, after all, and she didn’t really want to bother him. But then again, she wasn’t sure when another opportunity like this would present itself. Yes, probably best to get in there and get it over with…Or would it be better to wait, after all?

After another minute or so of internal arguing, Sachi gave up. Waiting wasn’t going to make this conversation any easier. She was going to go in there, right now, and say everything she wanted to, and that was that.

She gritted her teeth and squared her shoulders, and stepped forward to knock on the door.

“Come in,” her dad’s voice called, a bit muffled through the plywood.

Sachi opened the door and stuck her head in. “Hey, you got a minute?”

“Yeah, of course,” Tsuna said, glancing up from the tablet in his hands. “Just give me one second to send this email, ok?”

“Ok,” Sachi said, stepping through the door and sitting down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk.

It had been a while since she’d been in here. Not that anything had really changed. Aside from the desk and chairs, there was only a bookshelf full of old, dusty books and assorted knicknacks, and a single filing cabinet with a lot of colored sticky notes on it. 

As a child, this room had always given her the vaguely guilty feeling of having been sent to the principal’s office. But, more recently, she had heard her father describe his office as a little extension of the Vongola base; a description that she liked much, much better. Somehow, thinking of it like that now made her feel a little more at ease.

“Alright,” Tsuna said after a moment, setting aside the tablet, “all done. Sorry for making you wait.”

“No big deal. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sachi. So? What can I do for you?”

Sachi took a deep, deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “I wanna talk about the Vongolas.”

“What about them?”

“About me, joining up. Officially.”

Tsuna blinked, apparently caught by surprise. “Joining…? Sachi, we’ve already talked about this. I thought we agreed to wait until you finished high school.”

“I know, but I think it’d be better to start now!”

“What brought this on, all of a sudden?”

“I was just thinking...I mean, you might think it’s too early to be having this conversation, but...but I’m already older than you were when you were made head of the family! Don’t you think it’s past time to start training a new heir?”

“A new _heir_?”

“Yeah, me! Cause, well…I mean, we both know Itsuki doesn’t want it. He wants to go to art school after he graduates. And Rei- I know he’s only eleven- but he couldn’t do it even if he wanted to, cause he doesn’t have sky flames! He has sun, like Mom! So I’m the only candidate! Oh, uh, unless you had someone else in mind?”

“N-no...that’s not it, but-”

“Then I am the only candidate. Right? So why can’t I start now?”

Tsuna sighed. “Sachi, sweetie, back when I first became involved with the Vongola, times were very different. There was a lot more gang violence back then, and it became necessary for me to step in before I was ready. Things aren’t like that any more.”

“Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean there isn’t still violence,” Sachi insisted. “Just a few days ago I heard Giannini-san and Uncle Shouichi talking about a new gang in the area, that Hibari-san is looking into.”

“Hibari-san looks into dozens of new gangs every year, Sachi. None of them ever last long. I’m sure this latest one will be no exception. You don’t need to concern yourself with that, you just need to worry about keeping up with your schoolwork.”

“I’m not saying I want to drop out and join the gang full time! I thought maybe I could come by after school, and just do some basic training? Like being in an after school club, that’s all! I know I have a lot to learn, and I’m nowhere near being able to lead the whole family right now.”

“I’m...glad to see you’ve given this so much consideration, but-”

“Plus, I already have a whole team of guardians!”

“You _what_?! How?”

“Koshou can sniff out different flame abilities.”

“Sachi,” Tsuna said weakly, putting his face in his hands, “please, please tell me you did not bring your box weapon with you to school…”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“She’s a _coyote_. What if a teacher had caught you?”

“I would have just said she’s my pet dog!”

“Even if they had bought that, dogs aren’t allowed on campus, either!”

“Well, nobody caught me anyway! And I have all my guardians now, so it doesn’t matter!”

“It does matter! You used your box weapon recklessly, and you’ve involved others in the Vonvolas’ business without permission!”

“Wha- You never told me _not_ to do any of that!”

“It wasn’t obvious?!”

“No! Which is exactly why I’m telling you I need training!”

“I can’t believe this…”

Sachi sighed. This was going far worse than she had worried it might.

“Sorry I screwed up,” she said quietly, “but, please, will you at least give us a chance? Let us prove to you that we have what it takes.”

“Sachi…”

“Please, Dad?”

“...I’ll talk to my guardians about it, and we’ll see what we can come up with. But I can’t make any promises, Sachi. If they don’t agree to train you-”

“I’ll do whatever they think is right, I promise,” Sachi said quickly.

“Alright. I’ll let you know, one way or the other.”

“Thank you!”

Sachi jumped up and hurried out of the office before Tsuna could change his mind, already reaching into her pocket for her phone.

Maybe she hadn’t gotten exactly the reaction she had hoped for, but at least she and her guardians had a chance. And she was going to do everything she could to make sure that one chance would be enough.

A few of the larger training rooms in the Vongola base were equipped with their own observatory rooms, and it was in one of these rooms that the tenth generation guardians gathered for their first look at Sachi’s team.

“This is a bad idea,” Gokudera muttered darkly, crossing his arms.

Lambo rolled his eyes. “We heard you the first hundred times, Gokudera-san.”

“And yet here we are, going through with it anyway!”

“You don’t have any better ideas, and you know it!”

“Enough, both of you,” Yamamoto said wearily. “Don’t you think we should focus on the task at hand?”

“Hey, where’d Tsuna go?” Chrome asked, looking around.

“He was down there with Ryohei, explaining the rules. They should be on their way back up by now.”

“Oh, alright.”

“I still can’t believe she actually managed to get all seven,” Lambo said. “I mean, it’s been almost thirty years, and Hibari _still_ won’t admit to actually being a part of our family.”

“It is pretty impressive, isn’t it.”

“Probably just a coincidence.”

“Coincidence or not, we’re about to find out whether or not they actually have any potential.”

At that moment, the automatic door whooshed open, and Tsuna and Ryohei entered the observation room.

“Is everyone here?” Tsuna asked, approaching the window-wall overlooking the training room below.

“Yep, we’re all here.”

“Alright, then. They should be starting in just a moment.”

“You just have them doing a regular melee fight? How many opponents did you give them?”

“There are twelve in total. I told them to take it easy on the kids, though.”

“I see.”

They watched the small figures below move to opposite sides of the room, awaiting the sign to begin the fight.

“So, that’s Sachi, obviously, with the blue hair.”

“I didn’t know it was blue now.”

“It’s blue, Yamamoto. That’s Sachi. Do we know who the others are?”

“The one with the bleached hair next to her is her friend from school, I’ve seen him before. Uhhhh…Ryuto?”

“Ryota, Lambo-kun.”

“Yeah, that. Not sure about his flame ability, though.”

“Is it me, or does that girl on the right look foreign?”

“She does, doesn’t she. Interesting.”

“So how will we...oh, hang on, there they go.”

One of the Vongola’s men gave the signal shout, and both teams ran towards each other, colliding in a chaotic mass in the center of the room. After a moment, the dust began to settle, and the initial confusion of bodies and limbs resolved itself into a clearly divided battle.

Sachi and her friend Ryota kept close together, shouting back and forth to each other around their respective opponents. Although Sachi did have a box weapon of her own- that Tsuna had given her with the expectation that it would be used in emergencies only- she had left it behind for this particular fight, and was fighting with her fists alongside her chosen guardians.

“Bleach-head isn’t doing too bad,” Ryohei remarked. “His moves are rough, but with training I think he’ll shape up nicely.”

“You think he’s their sun guardian?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Hey, guys, one of Sachi’s friends is down already.”

“What?”

Chrome pointed. Sure enough, at the back of the pack, one of the young combatants was lying prone on the floor. For all appearances, he was out cold. The Vongola member he’d been sparring with was standing over him with her hands over her mouth, seeming to indicate that she hadn’t meant to hit him quite so hard.

“Well. That’s not so promising.”

“Ouch...I hope he’s ok…”

“Hey, Chrome, check it out. Look at that one, in the hood.”

“Why, what am I looking a...oh!”

“See that shimmer?”

“I do! It looks like he’s using some kind of illusion.”

“An illusion? As in, mist powers? How the hell can he already use mist powers?” Gokudera demanded.

“I don’t know! I don’t know what else it could be. But he’s not using it to fight, it doesn’t seem to be affecting his opponent at all...that’s so strange….”

“Yeah, strange,” Tsuna muttered absently, letting his eyes drift away from the mist fighter and over the rest of the combatants. Sachi and Ryota were still focused on their respective opponents. The boy at the back who had been knocked out had been removed from the battlefield, safely out of everyone else’s way.

There were three other combatants on the training room floor, all of them seemingly kids Sachi had picked up from Namimori High. One was a girl with long braided pigtails who, despite the fact that she very obviously did not have any martial arts training, was doing a pretty good job of dodging out of the way of her Vongola opponent’s blows.

The other two were a bit of a different story. One, a dark-haired boy, was holding his own against two Vongola. His fighting style was wild and unpolished, but nevertheless effective- it seemed as though he had at least some previous fighting experience.

The other, the girl Yamamoto had pegged as a foreigner, was fighting three of Tsuna’s men all on her own. It was obvious even from the first glance that she knew what she was doing. Her movements were deliberate and well-practiced, not a single one wasted. As Tsuna watched, she brought one of her opponents to his knees with a sharp kick to the ribs.

The twelfth and final Vongola member, who had been pacing the outskirts of the fight keeping an eye on things, saw this also and seemed to take it as an opportunity to jump into the fray.

The foreign girl saw him coming and moved to intercept his blow, but at that same moment the pigtailed girl came flying out of nowhere. The two girls collided hard, and rebounded onto the floor.

Tsuna sighed.

“That’s enough,” he said, leaning forward to push the button that would broadcast his voice out into the room below. “That’s enough.”

Around the room, the Vongolas lowered their fists, and Sachi’s crew cautiously followed suit. From there the Vongola squad leader took over, directing the kids out of the room.

“Well,” Yamamoto said, watching them go. “That was...something. That could have gone better.”

“I think it could hardly have gone worse,” Gokudera grumbled.

“Does that matter, though?” Ryohei asked. “We brought them in here today because, like it or not, Sachi’s already told them about our organization, and presumably about flame abilities and a few other trade secrets, too.”

“They just need a little bit of instruction, Gokudera-san. Some of them did quite well, for their age. I’m sure we can work the rest up to par.”

“I’m sure we _could_ train them to be decent fighters. Anyone can learn to fight. That’s not my issue. My issue is that we don’t know anything about them! Sachi probably doesn’t even know some of them that well. For all we know, they could be terrible people!”

“Well,” Tsuna said wearily, “there’s only one way to find out if they are, isn’t there?”

“And what’s that?”

“Spend time with them. Train them, get to know them.”

“...You can’t be serious.”

“Like Ryohei-san said, they already know more than we’d like them to. I think it’s important to help them understand why that knowledge should be kept quiet. And they are the ones Sachi’s chosen, after all.”

“So, you really are considering making her the next head of the family?” Chrome asked.

“I suppose I am. I honestly hadn’t given it much thought before she brought it up, but...well, she makes some good points. And if I’m going to give her any amount of consideration, I think it’s only fair to honor her choices of guardians, too.”

“But Juudaime-”

“She can always change her mind, Gokudera-kun.”

“...Alright. Fine. So we’ll be training those kids.”

“Seems like it. Ryohei-san, will you please make sure a copy of the footage of that fight gets to Hibari-san?”

“I can get him the footage, but I can’t guarantee I can convince him to actually train the kid, whichever one of them is the cloud guardian.”

“Don’t worry about that, just leave it to me. The rest of you can go; start planning how your training regimen is going to go, I guess. I’ll be in touch about scheduling and all that later.”

“Ok.”

“See you, then.”

One by one, the tenth generation guardians left the observation room, until only Gokudera remained with Tsuna.

“I’m sorry, Gokudera-kun,” Tsuna sighed. “I know you don’t agree with me on this, but I just don’t see any other options here.”

“You know I’ll go along with whatever you think is right,” Gokudera said quietly. “But I’ll admit, I am worried. What are we going to do if this doesn’t work out? We’ll make enemies out of those kids if we turn them away, you know.”

“I know. But I think we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“...You’re right.”

“Until then,” Tsuna said, glancing back down to the training room floor below, “we’ll do the best we can with what we have. I mean...we all have plenty of experience, right? We should be able to train new guardians no problem, even from scratch. How hard can it be?”

“Famous last words, Juudaime.”

Tsuna winced. “Good point. Forget I said anything. Anyway...let’s go down and meet Sachi’s team, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've had the idea for this story in mind for a long time, and now seemed as good a time as any to actually get to writing it. The one thing I was always really dissatisfied with about KHR was that Tsuna and the tenth gen guardians are essentially carbon copies of the first gen guardians...like, there's so much potential to play around with the characteristics and traits put forth as belonging to each flame ability, but it's not really explored much in canon. So I said to myself, "what can I do to turn these conventional forms on their heads?" and the eleventh gen guardians is what I came up with. This is the story of them coming into their powers, and growing from almost total strangers to family in the process. It is also the story of the tenth generation guardians coming to terms with the fact that the future of the Vongolas will not follow the established conventions that they've come to expect...but also, that that's not necessarily a bad thing.
> 
> Thank you for reading chapter 1! Next time we'll get properly introduced to the rest of the kids, I promise


	2. Introductions

Hibari owed Tsuna a favor.

He had almost forgotten about it, actually. On Tsuna’s wedding night, he had given him a ticket for one free favor, no questions asked. It had been the kid’s- Reborn’s- idea. And that had been, what...twenty years ago? More? He wasn’t sure. Hibari lost track of time a lot.

Anyway, the point was, Tsuna had hung onto that stupid favor for twenty-odd years, only to pull it out now. He had deliberately saved it until this exact situation presented itself, and Hibari was _disgusted_ that he hadn’t seen this coming. If he had, he would _never_ have given him that favor in the first place.

Because now he had no choice but to honor his word and do what Tsuna wanted, which in this case meant training the new Vongola cloud guardian.

God _damn_ it.

When the doorbell chimed, and he had to physically force himself to get up and answer it. And when he saw who it was standing there, it was all he could do not to scream with frustration.

“Hi,” said the girl on his doorstep brightly. “I’m Saito Kaname. Are you Hibari Kyouya?”

Hibari glared at her. She was just a kid. She was wearing pigtails and an oversized pastel sweatshirt, for crying out loud. _This_ was the one they wanted him to train? Surely there had to be some mistake, right?

“You’re early,” he growled.

“Oh, sorry, I thought it’d be better to leave a little early in case I got lost on the way! But I found you just fine, so yes, I’m here early. I can wait, if you want! Or I can start now, whatever works for you!”

She beamed at him. He glowered back.

“...Fine. Follow me.”

Hibari turned and led the way back through his own personal base, towards the back where he had his own little training area. It wasn’t much, compared to what the Vongolas had at their base, but it was enough for him and Kusakabe, and that was what mattered.

“Is this, like, your own private base?” the girl- Kaname- asked as they walked. “Do you live here, too? Isn’t it your job to gather information for the Vongola family? Are you going to teach me how to do that, too? Can we-”

“Stop,” Hibari cut her off sharply, turning around. “The only thing I’m here to do is teach you how to fight. That’s it. Don’t ask me for anything else.”

“Ok,” she said, stepping out into the center of the training room with him. “What should I do? Do you need to, like, stretch or anything? Hang on, I’ll-”

“Nope.”

In one swift motion, Hibari dropped into a fighting stance, pulled back his fist, and swung at her.

Kaname yelped in surprise, quickly stumbled back, tripped over her own feet, and landed hard on the ground.

“Ouch! Hey, what are you doing?! I wasn’t ready yet!”

“The bad guys aren’t going to give you time to stretch,” Hibari snapped. “Get up.”

Kaname made a face at him, but obediently got to her feet.

As soon as she was back up again, Hibari swung again. The same strike, at the same height and everything. She dodged backwards again just as awkwardly, but this time she at least managed to keep her balance.

“Hey! Stop it! I thought you were supposed to be _teaching_ me!”

“I am teaching you. Learn by doing.”

He swung for a third time. This time she expected it, and instead of dodging she clumsily redirected the blow. But he twisted and followed up with a quick jab from the other side, which hit her in the chest and knocked her back to the floor again.

“Nice try, but you have to be faster than that.”

“How am I supposed to know what to do if you don’t _tell_ me?”

“You’ll figure it out.”

“But-”

“No buts. Get up. Try again.”

Ryohei had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The Vongolas had enjoyed a long era of relative peace since Tsuna had taken over...which, of course, he was just as happy about as the next guy. But sometimes, he missed the action. He didn’t spend too much time in the field these days. Training a new sun guardian seemed like the perfect opportunity to get out from behind his desk for once.

He was excited to meet whichever one of the kids was next in line to be the sun guardian, and to see where Sachi and her group would go from here. Some of them had shown so much potential. He was secretly hoping for the foreign girl who had taken on four adult Vongolas by herself- she looked like she’d be fun to spar with.

But, as it turned out, the sun guardian was not the foreign girl. It wasn’t the dark haired boy who had fought two to one, either. It wasn’t even Sachi’s blond friend.

It was the boy who had been knocked out almost immediately.

“H-hello,” he stammered, fidgeting in front of Ryohei. “I’m Yamazaki Hiro. Uh, I’m here to learn how to fight?”

“Hello there, Yamazaki. I’m Sasagawa Ryohei, and I’ll be your teacher,” Ryohei said, fighting not to appear disappointed. What was there even to be disappointed about? They’d just have to start with the basics, that was all. In time, this kid might be fun to spar with, too!

“Um...may I ask you a question, Sasagawa-sensei?”

“Of course. I’m sure you have lots of questions. Fire away.”

“Is this really...are you and Sachi-san’s family really mafia? Like, _the_ mafia?”

“There’s a lot more than just one mafia, but yeah, we are! The Vongola organization has a presence in both Japan and Italy. We’re an old family, with a pretty big reputation preceding us, actually!”

“Oooook,” Hiro said slowly. “Japanese-Italian, real, actual mafia. Ok. So, like...what do you guys actually do? D-do you do a lot of...I don’t know, organized crimes?”

“Nah, not so much. That scene isn’t for us. We’re in the protection business- we deal with individuals and organizations who threaten ordinary citizens, and we keep the peace between a bunch of local, small-time gangs. There’s always a fair amount of money changing hands, but that’s simply due to the nature of the weapons and scientific research that we handle.”

“I see…”

Ryohei frowned. “Does that...not sound like the kind of organization you’d be interested in joining?”

“Ummm…”

“It’s ok, Yamazaki. I’d like to hear what’s really on your mind.”

Hiro just stared at Ryohei for a moment. Then he threw up his hands and demanded loudly, “isn’t all of this _illegal_?”

“Not really.”

“Not really?! It’s a yes or no question, isn’t it, how can it only be not really?”

“The authorities aren’t even aware of most of our dealings. Can’t be illegal if they don’t know that it exists to be banned in the first place.”

“Yeah, right, of course,” Hiro muttered, putting his face in his hands. “This is insane. I cannot believe that I am actually here right now.”

“Can I ask you a question in turn, Yamazaki? Why _are_ you here? I mean...well, let’s start with how you know Sachi. I’m assuming she’s the one who invited you?”

“Sachi-san is a friend from school,” Hiro said weakly. “She’s always been nice to me. I always seem to get picked on a lot, but the bullies don’t mess with her. Oh my god, do you think it’s because they know she’s in the _mafia_?”

“I doubt it. She’s just a very strong and confident person. Or at least, I think so.”

“Yeah, I guess it could just be that...I don’t know. A few weeks ago she told me that she thought I might have special powers, and she needed me for a gang she was building. I thought it was just a personal thing. I didn’t know it was an international mob!”

“Hmmm.” Ryohei frowned. “So, now that you know that, are you still going to do it?”

“Do what? Learn how to use special not-really-illegal weapons and fight other gangs? I don’t know. I want to help Sachi-san, but...this, this is just too much…”

Ryohei sighed.

“Look, kid. Yamazaki. I’m here to teach you how to fight, that’s true. But I never said you had to _start_ fights. Just, sooner or later you’re going to have to defend yourself, and we don’t want you to be caught unprepared.”

“O-oh…”

“And that goes for Sachi, too. When her dad took over this whole operation, he changed a lot of things. And Sachi will probably change things, too, if she does end up inheriting things. If you’re having second thoughts, you should probably talk to one of them about it.”

“Alright. Ok. I’ll...I’ll do that.”

“Good. In the meantime, do you still want a lesson? I mean, we don’t have to do anything crazy. Or illegal. Boxing is a good skill for everyone to have, right? Not just us mafiosos.”

Hiro bit his lip.

“Are you sure it’s ok?”

“Yup, I’m positive.”

“I don’t really know anything.”

“That’s ok, everyone has to start somewhere. Come on, put up your dukes. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Kung fu?”

“I studied it for about two years, in a dojo, but gave it up to focus on jiu jitsu.”

“Any weapons training?”

“Not formally, but I have a basic understanding of most things.”

“Do you speak English?”

“Yes. Enough to get by.”

“Hmm...What’s four hundred and thirty divided by sixteen?”

“What? I don’t know. Twenty something. How is that related, exactly?”

“Well, damn, girl, you can do everything else! I’m kinda starting to wonder why you’re here at all!”

“To learn how to harness the powers of the lightning flame! And to learn how to perform the duties of a Vongola guardian!”

“Hmmmmm…”

Lambo crossed his arms, frowning. He hadn’t been prepared for the foreign girl to turn up at his door. And even after seeing her performance in the melee, he hadn’t expected her to be this competent. He was having to rethink some things on the fly.

“Look, I don’t think it’s as serious as you think it is, uh...sorry, tell me your name again?”

“Mariana. Mariana Rosanto.”

“Right. Mariana, I think you’ve got this a little twisted somehow.”

“Am I not here to learn how to harness the powers of the lightning flame and perform the d-”

“Duties of a guardian, yeah, uh-huh. What kind of duties would those be, again?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. Lambo frowned harder. He was thirty-three years old, for crying out loud. Wasn’t he too old for this by now? Exactly how much of his life was going to be spent being condescended to by Italian teenage girls?

“The Vongola family is one of the largest and oldest families in the business,” Mariana said pointedly. “And the guardians are the top executives. So, you have to manage at least part of the operations, right? Personnel distribution, funds, intel, and-”

“Stop, stop. I don’t do any of that.”

“Wh- You don’t?”

“Nope. We’re not so big, nor so corporate, that we can’t just hold our people accountable for letting us know where they are and what they need. Any money decisions needing to be made get sent to Tsuna and Gokudera. Yamamoto keeps track of what we have on hand at any given time, and Hibari handles pretty much all the intel there is to handle. The scientists run their own experiments and stuff. Our various associated families run themselves. It’s not that formal. You get me?”

“...So what _do_ you do?”

“Eh.” Lambo shrugged. “If there is a fight, or some other important happening, I go wherever Tsuna points me. Other than that, uhhh...depends on the day. A lot of times, I help Irie and Spanner with their inventions. Or I help supervise the younger recruits’ training. Whatever needs doing.”

Mariana stared at him for a moment.

“Different than what you were expecting?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Glad we got that straightened out beforehand. Anyway, you’re right about the whole lightning flame thing. Gotta get a grip on that before we can get you a weapon. I guess we can start there. Sound good?”

“I...sure. Fine. Sounds good.”

“Alright then. Let’s get to it.”

“Uh, hello? Anybody in here?”

“Yes, come in!”

Gokudera stood up from the table he’d been sitting at, waving over his new student.

“I’m Gokudera. Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

“Toujo Ryota,” he answered. “You’re the red flame guy?”

“They’re called storm flames, and yes, I am.”

“Storm, right. I thought you were supposed to be training me?”

“I am.”

“Then why are we in a library?”

“Because, there’s a lot to explain before we actually get to the point of being able to control flames. I hope you realize, this job is no joke! You have a lot to learn if you’re going to be Sachi’s right hand man.”

“Right hand man? Is that a thing?”

“Of course it is! See, this is exactly what I’m talking about. We have a lot to go over. I’m glad that we were able to get the library before any of the others. Come over here, where you can see the projector screen.”

“Oh, uh, alright…”

“So tell me, Toujo Ryota,” Gokudera said while they were waiting for the projector to warm up, “how long have you known Sachi?”

“Since elementary school. We were lab buddies in third grade, and the rest is history.”

“I see. And if you saw some unfamiliar guys trying to pick a fight with her, what would you do?”

“Hm? I don’t know. Sachi’s pretty popular, so I don’t see why anyone would want to pick a fight with her.”

“Think adults, not students.”

Ryota frowned. “I’d go get her, I guess.”

“What if you walked in, and the fight was already happening?”

“I’d go get her!”

“Bzzt, wrong answer!”

“What! How is that the wrong answer? You want me to just let her get beat up by a bunch of adults?”

“As the storm guardian, it’s your job to protect your boss. You should always be ready to stick your neck out to ensure her safety.”

Ryota frowned. “I can’t fight that good, though. Wouldn’t it be better protection to just get her out of there?”

“Escaping a determined foe isn’t that easy, you know. I can see we have a lot to work on. Ah, there it goes. Pay close attention, ok, you’re going to need to know all this information. First up, some history about our organization...”

The young candidate for eleventh generation rain guardian turned out to be the dark haired boy who had left an impression at the melee fight by being one of only two of Sachi’s team to take on more than one opponent by himself.

Yamamoto had greeted him cheerfully, and explained in detail who he was and what he did within the Vongola organization. The boy- Arikawa Nai- listened quietly and intently to every word. He seemed to understand, so Yamamoto went on to give a short explanation about the nature of rain flames themselves. When he was finished, he asked, “do you have any questions?”

And after a moment’s hesitation, Nai asked in return, “you use your powers to protect the people in this town, right? Even from enemies that the organization doesn’t know about?”

“Yes, that’s right. Occasionally we do encounter new, unknown enemies, but we’re never left in the dark for too long. Remember, you have dozens of comrades around you to help identify and repel any threats.”

Nai nodded, apparently pleased with that answer. “Ok. What do I need to do?”

“Have you ever thought about using a weapon before, Nai?”

“No.”

“Well, would you consider it if the option were presented? You see, I’m a swordsman, and since all my experiences in combat and with learning to control my flames have been directly related to that, I think that’d probably be the best way for me to teach you.”

Nai hesitated again, but then shrugged. “I’ll try.”

“Alright, good. If you would, please step over this way...Here, this is a practice blade, just for today.”

“Ok.”

“Hold the hilt like this,” Yamamoto instructed, reaching over to gently reposition Nai’s hands. “Good. Alright, now show me a fighting stance.”

Nai did as he was told, dropping down and holding the wooden sword out in front of him. Yamamoto sighed internally. His form was all wrong. He was all stiff and tense. Yamamoto knew from experience that it would take a lot of work to get him to relax properly.

“Alright, good start,” he said anyway, trying to be encouraging. “I’m going to show you the basic swing now, so just watch what I do, ok?”

“Mm.”

“Ok, here goes.”

Chrome had reviewed the footage of the fight several times in the days since it had happened, each time hoping to find a new clue as to what was going on with the young mist guardian that she had been tasked with training. But her search had been in vain. No new revelations presented themselves, and after a while she was forced to admit defeat and just wait until the moment came to meet her charge in person.

She was actually quite nervous, but when the door finally opened and he stepped into the room, she did her best to put her anxiety aside.

“Hello,” she said, smiling as reassuringly as she could and bowing low. “My name is Chrome Dokuro, and I’m the tenth generation Vongola mist guardian.”

“A-ah,” the kid said, taking a cautious step forward into the room with her. He seemed nervous, too. “And you...You’re the one who’s going to teach me to use these powers?”

“Yes, I am.” 

Chrome straightened up, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took a closer look at the boy in front of her. The same slight shimmer, the telltale sign of an inexperienced mist user’s inconsistent illusion, hovered in the air around him. But it was not the same illusion that he had worn the last time she had seen him- she had reviewed that footage enough times to be sure of that. This time his skin was darker, and his features a little sharper.

“Why don’t you start by telling me what you already know?”

“Not much,” he shrugged. “I figured out a little while ago that I can sort of change my appearance. But I don’t know how I’m doing it. Sawada-san told me that she knew what it was, and that if I came with her I would meet other people like me. Can you change yourself, too?”

“I can do more than that. Here, watch.”

Chrome waved her hand, and in seconds the empty training room they had been standing in was covered in lush jungle vegetation, and the harsh overhead lights dimmed down to the light of the moon filtered down through the trees. She even added in some convincing nighttime jungle sounds, just for show.

The young mist guardian flinched, his whole body tensed, but after a moment he reached out and put his hand against the trunk of one of the trees Chrome had created.

“Amazing,” he said quietly. “Is it...real?”

“Not quite. But it feels real, and that’s what matters.”

“Can I do this too?”

“You will be able to do it one day, uh...sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“Oh. You can call me Kimi.”

Chrome frowned slightly. Kimi? What an odd name. Something about this kid didn’t quite feel right to her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

But now wasn’t the time to press that issue, anyway.

“Alright, Kimi. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, here's our kids! I'm having lots of fun writing them. (Kaname, the annoying one, is absolutely unabashedly my favorite of the bunch.) I hope you're all looking forward to learning more about them in the future! : )


	3. First Impressions, Fist Fights, and First Aid

For the past four years Sachi, Ryota, and Hiro had all been in the same class. Three of those years, they’d been together with Kaname, too. But this year was a little different. Of the four of them, only Kaname and Hiro were in the same class this time. Ryota and Sachi were both in separate classes.

As such, lunch would be the first time that Sachi would be able to talk to her friends after their first training sessions with the Vongolas. Her session with her father had lasted hours, and by the time she had gotten out, everyone else was already gone. She was dying to hear what their experiences had been like.

The morning seemed to drag on and on. When the bell finally rang to dismiss them for lunch, Sachi couldn’t scramble up out of her seat fast enough. She hastened downstairs and dashed across the campus green, heading for where her friends were already waiting for her at their usual picnic table in the shade of the big oak tree.

“Hey, guys,” she called out as she approached. “Hey, what did you think of- Woah, Kaname, what happened to your arm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Kaname said dismissively.

“Are you sure? Looks like it hurts.”

“It’s just a bruise, don’t worry about it. Anyway, how did your meeting with your father go?”

“Fine,” Sachi shrugged, taking a seat on the bench next to Ryota. “Kinda boring, really.”

“Really? I thought a lesson from an established mafia boss would be very fascinating!”

“Maybe _you_ would have found it fascinating, Kaname. Mostly he just lectured me about being responsible, and stuff like that”

“Yeah, mine was kinda boring too,” Ryota said around a mouthful of sandwich. “And he kept asking me these, like, scenario questions, and he was never happy with any of my answers.”

Sachi winced. “Sounds about right. Still though, did you learn a lot?”

“I guess so.”

“So you’re gonna go back with me next time, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Sachi beamed. “Great. What about you, Kaname, how did it go with Hibari-san?”

“Oh! Well...He’s, um, a bit of a challenge to get along with!”

“Hah! Tell me about it.”

“But don’t worry, Sachi-chan. I’m determined to get him to teach me. I think all of this is so interesting, and I can’t wait to learn even more!”

“Good, good! And you, Hiro?”

“O-oh…” Hiro hesitated, not quite meeting Sachi’s eyes. “Sasagawa-sensei is, uh, teaching me how to box.”

“Of course he is,” Sachi said, rolling her eyes. “How was it though? Good, bad, what?”

“I don’t know. It was really...intense, I suppose.”

Sachi sighed. “Everything’s intense when it comes to my uncle.”

Hiro blinked. “Wait, Sasagawa-sensei is your uncle?”

“Yep. D’you need me to have a word with him for you?”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary.”

“You sure? If he’s making you uncomfortable, you should just say so, you know.”

“Thank you, Sachi-san, but really, it’s fine.”

“Alright, if you say so. But if it ever gets too much you just let me know, ok?”

“Ok.”

“You spent a lot of time around the base growing up, right?” Ryota asked. “So you pretty much know everybody?”

“Mhm! I think it’s fair to say that I’m pretty close with everyone. Well, all the ones who spend most of their time in Japan, anyway.”

“What about Hibari-san, Sachi-chan? Were you close with him growing up, too?”

“Oh, no. No way. That guy is, uh...my dad calls him ‘private’. I kind of think he’s just a jerk.”

“From what I’ve seen, that may be a fair assumption.”

“Hang in there, Kaname.”

“Don’t worry about me, Sachi-chan. I still think this whole thing is so fascinating. I can hardly wait for our next lesson!”

“I’m starving,” Sachi announced loudly as the four of them started home together after school.

“That’s what you get for talking instead of eating during lunch.”

“Ryota, shut up. Do you guys want to go into town to eat with me? Oh, we could stop by my aunt’s ramen place! She told me that she wanted to meet my guardians sometime, anyway.”

“Another relative of yours?”

“Yeah, my Aunt I-Pin!”

“Wait,” Hiro said, frowning. “Are all the Vongolas _actually_ related? I thought the term ‘family’ was just a metaphor.”

“It’s kinda complicated. Since I spent so much time around the base when I was younger, I usually refer to most of the adults there as my aunts and uncles. But, since Aunt I-Pin and Uncle Lambo were taken in by my grandmother when they were kids, technically she really is my aunt, on my dad’s side. Ah, and that goes for Uncle Ryohei too. He’s my mom’s brother.”

“Hey, speaking of which, how come neither of your brothers are on this team of yours?”

“Eh. Itsuki’s not interested and Rei’s still too young. Besides, we don’t need him to be sun guardian, we have Hiro!”

“R-right…”

“I’m still confused as to how Hibari-san fits into this whole dynamic.”

“Listen, are we getting ramen or aren’t we? I’m dying here!”

“Alright, alright, fine.”

“Awesome! Let’s go this way, then.”

Sachi led her little group of friends into the city, navigating easily through the busy streets. The four of them chatted contentedly amongst themselves, the topic of conversation ranging from their respective homework assignments, to plans for the weekend, to the latest developments in their favorite tv shows.

As they walked past the park, Hiro paused.

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard someone scream…”

The others stopped too, listening intently. After a moment Sachi opened her mouth to say that she was pretty sure Hiro had imagined the sound, when suddenly she heard it too.

“Quick,” she said, “let’s go!”

“Sachi, what the hell are you doing?”

“Yeah, don’t run toward someone screaming like that!”

“They might need help though! What if there was a car crash or something?”

“But it came from inside the park!”

“We should still go check it out. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“That’s not what that saying means and you know it, Sachi-san!”

“You guys wait here, then, if you like, but I’m gonna go see.”

Ryota sighed and shook his head, but nevertheless he took off after Sachi. Kaname and Hiro exchanged worried looks before falling in behind him.

Sachi ran across the street and easily hopped over the low fence that bordered the park. She threaded her way through the trees, emerged out onto the paved trail, and followed the path to the edge of the little wooded area before stopping short.

“Well,” Ryota said as he approached from behind her. “Do you see anyth-”

“Back up, back up!”

Sachi turned around and shoved Ryota back into the cover of the trees before reaching out to drag Kaname and Hiro in, too.

“What’s happening? Sachi-chan, what’s happening?”

“A fight, or something,” Sachi hissed, crouching down and pulling her friends with her.

“A what?”

“Look, there!”

The four of them cautiously peeked around the tree trunks. Just as Sachi had said, there did appear to be some sort of commotion going on- from where they were they could see several people lying prone on the ground, and several more running away from two men carrying some sort of long metal apparatuses.

“Oh my god…”

“Hiro, calm down.”

“What are those things those guys are carrying?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Look at the logos on their jackets,” Sachi said, swatting at Ryota’s arm. “These guys have got to be members of the Livewires...”

“That gang you told us about? I thought your father told you they weren’t a threat!”

“Yeah, well, looks like he was wrong, doesn’t it?”

“What are we going to do, Sachi-chan?” Kaname asked. “I mean, what _can_ we do?”

“Don’t really have a choice, do we? We’re going to go stop them!”

“What!”

“Sachi-san, don’t!” Hiro whispered frantically. “We can’t possibly beat them ourselves! We should go get help!”

“Help won’t get here in time to save those people!”

“We won’t be able to save those people either! We’ll get killed!”

“We have to at least try! Come on, let’s-”

“No,” Ryota said sharply, grabbing Sachi by the arm.

“What are you doing, can’t you see that-”

“ _We’ll_ go fight them. _You_ need to go get help, like he said.”

“Ryota, are you out of your mind?!”

“Gokudera-san made me swear that I would always fight to keep you safe! You’re the boss, Sachi, so you have to get away!”

“Dude, that’s _bullshit_! Argh, we don’t have time for this!”

Sachi wrenched her arm away from Ryota, and before he could grab her again she was dashing away, out from behind the shelter of the trees and towards the conflict.

“Hey!” she yelled, reaching into her pocket for her box weapon as she ran. “Leave them alone!”

Ryota growled in frustration. “Come on,” he said to Kaname and Hiro, “we have to go after her.”

“But-”

“I know, Hiro, but we’re her guardians now. We gotta do what we can to keep her safe.”

Hiro hesitated, clearly torn, but then he nodded, seemingly resolved. Ryota nodded back, took a deep breath, and ran out towards the center of the park, Hiro and Kaname right behind him, following Sachi into the fray.

“...And that’s what happened.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Really! Ask them, I’m not lying!”

“She’s not lying.”

“Yeah, it’s all true!”

“Easy there, kiddos. I never said she was lying.”

“But you don’t believe me, do you.”

“I believe you, Sachi. I’m just puzzled by this whole thing.”

I-Pin frowned as she carefully dabbed antibiotic onto Ryota’s split knuckles. He winced, but didn’t complain.

“Are you going to tell my dad?” Sachi asked.

“No, _you’re_ going to tell your dad.”

“Aw, come on…”

“Sachi, when you show up at home with a black eye like that, your parents are going to want to know what’s happened. And it’s only fair that you tell them the truth.”

“Alright, fine. But you’ll report it to him too, right? You’ll back me up?”

“Yes, I will. That’s not an excuse for you not to tell him, though.”

“I know.”

“Now Sachi-chan,” Haru chided gently, pushing aside Sachi’s messy blue hair to get a better look at the bruise blossoming on her face, “don’t complain. You and your friends were all incredibly lucky, you know. Things could have been much worse. You could have ended up like all those other poor people.”

“Yes, Aunt Haru.”

“What will happen to them?” Hiro asked. “The others.”

“Don’t you worry about them. The authorities arrived shortly after the four of you got here. I’m sure they’re all receiving treatment at the hospital by now.”

“Oh...Alright...I hope they’ll be ok.”

“Are you a member of the Vongola family, too?” Kaname asked as Haru moved over to her with the first aid kit.

“Kind of. I’m more of an honorary member. My doctor day job takes up most of my time. But I make time to take care of the Vongolas whenever they need help and don’t want to go to a hospital. Them and a couple of other families in the area.”

“Wow, that’s so neat! Do you use special flame techniques to heal people?”

“Nope, just good old fashioned medicinal science. But I am very heavily involved in the research into dying will flames, and how they might benefit the field in the future.”

“That’s awesome. I’d love to hear more about your research some time.”

“Aw, thanks! I’d be glad to tell you. Here, keep pressure on that cut. Let me get something for that nasty bruise on your arm. Man, these guys really didn’t pull any punches with you kids, did they?”

“Oh, that one was Hibari-san, actually.”

“...Wait, what?”

“Sorry for dragging you guys into this,” Sachi said to Ryota and Hiro while Kaname explained her situation to Haru. “I guess Dad’s intel was wrong about that gang.”

“You should have listened to me,” Ryota grumbled around a swollen lip.

“Come on, Ryota. You saw what was going on out there. How could you even think of leaving without doing anything?”

“You’re the one who wanted me to learn from Gokudera-san! And he told me never to let the boss get involved in a fight if it could be avoided! I was just doing what he told me to!”

“Since when am I your _boss_?”

“I don’t know, maybe since _you_ invited me to join _your_ family?”

Sachi sighed. “It’s true that I’m running this thing. But I never asked you to call me boss, did I?”

“Uh…”

“I definitely didn’t. Because I don’t want you to think of me as just your boss! I mean, Ryota...I wouldn’t do that to you. You realize that, right?”

Ryota blinked. “But, Gokudera-san-”

“Forget about him. I’m in charge, right? Then, consider this an official order. I get to decide when I’m going to fight, not him. Ok?”

“I guess.”

“Can we go back to just being best friends now?”

“Hah...sure. Best friends.”

Sachi beamed at him. “Thanks. How about you, Hiro?”

“What? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I asked if we’re still friends.”

“Oh. Well, yes. Was it in question?”

“Hiro, are you ok? You’ve been acting kinda out of it all day.”

“Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have explained better about the Vongolas before I asked you to come with us. I was so excited to find out that you had sun flames that I guess I got carried away. And I shouldn’t have let you get involved in this Livewire thing.”

“What kind of a stupid name for a gang is ‘Livewires’ anyway?”

“Ryota, shut up.”

“It’s ok, Sachi-san,” Hiro said quickly. “I admit, I felt very overwhelmed for a while. And, well, it hasn’t exactly been easy. But that doesn’t mean we’re not friends!”

“Ok, good. Because I do still want to be friends, even if you don’t want to-”

“No, no, I’m not going to stop being your sun guardian.”

“You’re not!?”

Hiro shook his head. “I’m starting to catch on, I think. To what the Vongola organization’s purpose is. I mean, I-Pin-san showed up to that fight before the police did. And she scared those guys off right away. Plus, you said they were doing research into that gang already, right?”

“Yeah, Hibari-san was.”

“And they’re doing all of that to help people.”

“Right.”

“Well, if I have to learn boxing to help people, then I’ll do it. Even if I do keep getting hit in the face. I want to help.”

“Aww, Hiro. I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, good for you, Hiro.”

“Alright, everyone get your stuff together,” I-Pin called, clapping her hands. “We’re done here for the day, and as long as there are unknown threats out there, Aunt I-Pin and Aunt Haru are going to be escorting you all home.”

“Please tell me the Vongolas have some sort of magic excuse that will make my parents not ground me for fighting,” Ryota said.

“We’ll figure something out on the way. Come on, let’s get going, I want to get all of you home before dark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 3! Things are starting to get a little more serious now, huh!
> 
> It's probably worth noting here that I started teaching this week (aaaaahhhhh), so updates on this fic will probably be very slow. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to finish it! It's just going to take me a while =_=


	4. Coming to Terms

“Stop, stop. Relax your grip on the hilt. Do it again, slower.”

Yamamoto stood by and watched as his student flexed his fingers around the hilt of the sword before returning to the starting stance of the exercise they were working through. It wasn’t that he wasn’t hearing him. He was clearly trying to do as Yamamoto asked. It just wasn’t working. His grip remained as tight as ever, his whole body tense and rigid. Yamamoto didn’t know any other way he could possibly get his student to relax his posture.

“Remember, think of the sword as an extension of your body, a part of you. Deliberate strokes.”

“I’m trying,” Nai muttered.

“Relax your grip, Nai-kun.”

“I’m _trying_.”

Yamamoto sighed. They were hitting a dead end here, and he just didn’t know what else to say.

“I know you’re trying. But your performance in all of our lessons, and every melee fight you’ve been in with the others, is all the same. You’re too tense. You don’t use what you know, what you’ve been taught. You panic, and when you panic you make mistakes.”

“I know,” Nai growled.

“Well, then, tell me what I can do to help you. Tell me where you’re confused, where the disconnect is coming from. I can’t help you get better if you don’t talk to me, Nai-kun!”

“I don’t know. Training and fighting just aren’t the same thing.”

“Yes, they are! I’m not just telling you to relax for my own entertainment, you know! This _is_ how you fight!”

Nai scowled, but didn’t answer, merely shifting his grip on the sword hilt once more.

“You haven’t been working well with your comrades, either,” Yamamoto pressed on. “You are one of seven guardians, Nai-kun. Part of a team, a family! And yet you insist on diving into each fight alone and never stop to coordinate with your friends, or help them when they’re in danger!”

“They’re not my friends.”

“I’m sorry?”

“They’re not. My. Friends,” Nai repeated deliberately.

Yamamoto threw up his hands in frustration. “Then why are you here at all?!”

“Because I have to learn how to fight,” Nai shouted suddenly, rounding angrily on Yamamoto. “I have to be able to fight! Not for them, for _me_! But these stupid lessons aren’t _helping_!”

He threw the sword to the floor with a loud crash. For a moment, both of them just stared at it. Then Nai turned on his heel and ran out of the room.

“Nai-kun, wait,” Yamamoto called, but it was no good. Nai was gone.

Yamamoto sighed again. He’d pushed too hard. Whatever Nai was going through, he clearly wasn’t ready to talk about it.

But he also clearly couldn’t handle it alone. He needed help, but not from Yamamoto.

If this was going to work out, there was someone else he needed to open up to first.

Nai ran, through the long halls of the Vongola base until he found his way out. And then he kept running, back into town, back into familiar territory, back to the streets he knew. He ran to the old part of town, to the empty apartment building at the corner where the streetlight was broken, and climbed the rickety fire escape up to the top level.

He sat there in the dark and blinked stubbornly at the tears threatening to spill over down his cheeks. He rubbed his hands together in the cold and fought off a shiver. He resisted the urge to scream, and scream, until he lost his voice, because that wasn’t going to help.

When Sawada Sachi, the girl whose face he knew but whom he’d barely ever spoken to, had come to him talking about power, and opportunity, he had believed her. He’d thought this was his chance. He supposed he’d been wrong.

Of course it couldn’t have been that easy. Nothing was ever that easy. He needed a new plan.

A loud shout interrupted his thoughts, and his head snapped up.

It was happening again. Close, by the sound of it. He hesitated, but then there came another shout, even closer.

Nai cursed under his breath and started back down the fire escape. He jumped the last few steps and hit the ground running again, heading towards the commotion.

It wasn’t hard to find. The Livewires weren’t exactly trying to hide their presence. They moved steadily through the streets, pursuing everyone who ran from them and catching them on the ends of those long, metal weapons. Nai had seen them in action. Whatever those things were, they _drained_ you somehow, left you weak and powerless. He’d heard that some of the people who had been attacked weeks ago still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Nai recognized one of the people in the sparse crowd, running from the gang members. It was Toko, an old man who lived on these streets. He pushed himself to run faster. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he still had no idea how he was going to fight the Livewires off, but he couldn’t let them get Toko. He couldn’t.

“Hey,” he shouted, putting himself between the Livewires and the people they were chasing, “stop! Stop!”

“Nai-kun?”

“Toko-san, run!”

The Livewires turned their weapons on Nai. Nai put up his fists.

“Nai-kun, don’t!”

“I said run!”

Nai leaped forward and swung at the closer Livewire guy. He grunted and swung back in retaliation. Nai hastily dodged and jumped back- far from gracefully, but enough to put him temporarily out of range.

“Leave these people alone,” he said loudly, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.

The Livewires merely snarled in response. The second one lunged at Nai, forcing him back again.

He fought the best he could, but he was no match for two of them at once. After only a few exchanges of blows, one of his dodges proved to be just a hair too slow, and one of their weapons grazed his shoulder.

Nai gasped, tripped over his own feet, and landed hard on the street. A sharp flash of pain flared up from where he’d been hit, and then his whole arm went numb.

The one who’d hit him took another step forward and drew back his arm to strike again. Nai shut his eyes, anticipating another blow, but it didn’t come. 

Instead he heard a strange growling noise, a loud _thunk_ , and a grunt of pain.

When he opened his eyes again, the Livewire man’s weapon was on the ground, and the man himself was wrestling with some kind of furry animal that...also appeared to be on fire?

The other guy bemusedly raised his weapon, but before he could figure out what to do, Sachi came charging out of nowhere and tackled him. With the element of surprise on her side, it wasn’t long before both men were laying motionless on the ground.

“Nai?” Sachi asked, standing up and turning towards him. “You ok?”

“W-what is that thing,” Nai stammered, his eyes on the strange, canine-looking creature that he could see, now that it was standing still, was definitely on fire.

“Koshou’s not a thing! She’s my box weapon. She won’t hurt you,” Sachi added, seeing the wary look on Nai’s face. For extra measure, she reached out and stroked the coyote. Though the mysterious orange flames licked at her hands, she didn’t even seem to feel it.

Nai swallowed and turned his attention back to the girl herself. “What are you doing here?”

“Uncle Yamamoto told me to come find you. He said you had an argument, and that he was worried about you. Guess he was right to be. Hey, you got a cell phone on you?”

“What?”

“Nevermind, this guy’s got one,” Sachi said, squatting down and pulling a phone from one of the unconscious men’s pockets. Nai watched as she switched it on, pressed the emergency call button, and held it up to her ear. “Hello, operator? There’s two armed men at this address, both unconscious. Looks like some other folks have been hurt, too. Could you send an ambulance, please? Uh-huh...Yes...Details? Sorry,” she said with a smile, “I don’t know anything. I just happened to be passing by.”

With that she tossed the phone back down to the street and walked over to where Nai was.

“Your arm,” she said, pointing. “We should get that looked at.”

“No, I’m ok,” Nai muttered. He flexed his fingers- feeling was slowly, tinglingly returning to his numb limb.

“Oh, alright then. Good. In that case, we should go. I don’t wanna be here when the police get here...and I kinda think you don’t either.”

“Hmph.”

Nai begrudgingly accepted the hand that Sachi held out to him, and she pulled him to his feet.

“This way,” he said, gesturing.

“Ok,” Sachi shrugged, and followed his lead.

For a few moments, the two of them walked in silence. The streets were dark and empty, but Sachi’s weird pet/weapon thing illuminated their path.

“Are you sure your arm’s ok?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, fine. Why were you fighting those guys?”

“Do you have to ask so many questions?”

“Depends. Are you gonna keep not explaining things? Do I have to pry the answers out of you one word at a time?”

“It’s none of your business,” Nai growled.

“Hey, I saved you from those goons. You owe me one.”

Nai sighed.

“I was trying to keep them away from Toko-san and the others.”

“Who’s Toko-san?”

“A homeless man who lives in this area.”

“Really? How do you know him?”

Nai shrugged.

“Fine then, don’t tell me. Jerk.”

He didn’t bother to answer that. He turned off the sidewalk, down a short alley, and jumped the chain link fence at the end of the path with practiced ease.

“Coming?”

“Dude, this building is condemned.”

“Problem with the wiring. Structure’s safe.”

Sachi frowned, but didn’t argue. She scrambled up and over the fence too, and followed Nai into the old building.

“Wait, what’s all this?”

“Just some stuff I left here.”

“Nai,” Sachi said, frowning harder, “what is this place, really? What are we doing here?”

“Nothing. Just laying low until the police leave.”

“And, what, you lay low here often?” she demanded, gesturing to the heap of blankets and canned food piled against the wall.

“Sometimes,” Nai said flatly.

“Nai. You don’t have to tell me. But if you’re having troubles with the police, I wish you would. I could help you. My dad is the local mob boss,” she reminded him when he raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. “Did you seriously think we wouldn’t have our ways to avoid the cops’ attention?”

Nai closed his eyes and sighed again, slid down the wall to sit on the floor, and momentarily debated how much to say.

“It’s not like they’re after me specifically, for like a crime, or anything like that,” he said eventually, deciding it would be quicker and less annoying just to tell her the truth.

“Then why?”

“Just didn’t want to risk it. They aren’t exactly friendly to vagrants at the best of times, especially truant kids.”

“‘Truant’?”

“It’s better on the streets than it is at home,” Nai shrugged.

“You mean, your family mistreats you?”

“Guess you could say that.”

“Oh, Nai…”

“It’s ok. I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not the point! You shouldn’t have to! I mean, it’s-”

“Sachi,” Nai interrupted wearily. “It’s ok. Really.”

Sachi crossed her arms. “It’s not ok.”

“I’ll handle it. _Really_.”

“....Mmm.”

Sachi moved over to sit beside him.

“So the reason you agreed to be one of my guardians,” she said quietly, “was so you could fight the Livewires? Is that it?”

“They’re preying on helpless people like Toko-san. No one _else_ is doing anything to stop them. What was I supposed to do?”

“Fair enough, I guess. My dad told me that he and Hibari-san didn’t think they’d be a real problem. But, after what happened in the park the other day, I can tell you that they’re working on it. Uncle Shouichi and Gianini-san are analyzing those weird weapons, trying to find a way to fight them, and reverse the effects, too.”

“Have they learned anything yet?”

“Well, they wouldn’t tell me directly, but from what I was able to overhear it sounds like the things’re designed to drain a person’s dying will flame energy, so the Livewires can, like, absorb it for themselves.”

“Flame energy? I thought only a few people had that?”

“No, everyone has it, at least a small amount. Only a few people have enough of it to ever use it in any way that matters, though. Like us.”

“Oh.”

Koshou walked over and lay down at Sachi’s feet. Sachi reached down to absentmindedly scratch at her ears.

“Are you going to come back?” she asked. “Try again?”

“I don’t know.”

“Uncle Yamamoto is one of the best swordsmen ever, you know. He knows what he’s doing.”

“I’m sure he does. I just can’t get the hang of the sword, for some reason. He keeps telling me to relax, and think about it as a part of my body, but you know...it’s not. It’s a huge, sharp blade, and if you swing it wrong, even once, you cut your own head off. How am I supposed to relax with that in my hands?”

“I don’t know, dude.”

“Me neither.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I want you to come back. I can’t force you to be a part of my team, I get that, but I picked you for a reason.”

“...’Picked’? I thought you just needed someone with the flames I have, to complete your set.”

“I did. There were a couple of people at school with rain flames, though. And I picked you.”

Nai blinked, taken aback. “But...why?”

Sachi shrugged. “Uncle Gokudera once told me that people with rain flames have the aspect of tranquility, or something like that. He said that that was why Uncle Yamamoto was always breaking up fights between Uncle Lambo and Aunt I-Pin, and why he’s my dad’s left hand man. ‘Cause he ends fights. But that didn’t really make sense to me. I mean, stepping into a fight, even to end it, is still fighting, right? What’s tranquil about that?”

“I have no idea.”

“I mean, I can kind of see what he was talking about, now that I’m older. But at the time it really bugged me. I started looking at every other rain flame person I knew, to see if I could figure out their aspect of tranquility. I couldn’t really see it, most of the time. Especially not with Uncle Squalo. Your life isn’t exactly all that tranquil, either, is it? I guess, my point is, it’s not so easy to put people into neat little boxes. I just picked you because I thought you’d be reliable. Also, Koshou seemed to like you.”

“......Oh.”

“So if you want to try again, we’ll be there for you.”

“Ok. I do, you know...I do want to get stronger. I guess I could try again.”

Sachi smiled. “Good.”

“Sorry for all the trouble I caused.”

“It’s ok, dude. Hey, why don’t you stay the night at my place tonight?”

“O-oh, no, I don’t need-”

“Both my parents are in Italy right now. They don’t have to know. It’d just be you and me. And my brothers, but, I mean, they can keep a secret.”

Nai hesitated. “Will you tell me more about the Vongola, and about the flames and stuff?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Alright.”

“Good. Come on, then.”

“Hey, Sachi?”

“Yeah?”

“...Nothing. Just, thanks, I guess. For everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rain is one of the types of flames that bothers me the most, purely just because _Squalo_. I literally cannot come up with any way to justify him being rain and not, oh, say, lightning. With Nai, it's not so much about external applications of tranquility as it is about internal tranquility. It's about pushing aside turbulent emotions and looking at things clearly. In this story Nai is very young, and going through a lot of tough stuff, so he's still working that out for himself. But one day he's going to be generation eleven's voice of reason, and one of the greatest tacticians the Vongola has ever known.
> 
> I love this kid, and it was really fun to do a chapter profile of him : ) Next time we'll take a closer look at our lightning and mist guardians, so be looking forward to that I guess


	5. Family, By Choice

In Italy, all the students always eat lunch together in the cafeteria. Here, at Namimori High, most of them ate right there in their classrooms. Some small groups spread out, to the roof, or the grounds. But Mariana was new, and she didn’t get invited to join those select groups. Staying in the classroom felt awkward, too, surrounded by happy idle chatter and stuck between wanting to join in and wanting to stay out of it and just be left alone.

This particular day, she’d decided that the wondering wasn’t worth it, and she’d left the classroom. She’d taken her bag and her pitiful little salami sandwich (not nearly as good as the ones her brother made) and her juice box (grape, with way more sugar than she was used to) over to the stairwell and sat herself down all alone.

From her bag she pulled out the notes she had made after her last training session at the Vongola base, and reread them to herself in her head while she munched on her sandwich.

All was quiet and still...at least, until someone called her name, and she looked up to see Sawada Itsuki approaching.

“Hey,” he said. “You ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“What are you doing here, then?”

“Studying for the Japanese lit test tomorrow,” she lied easily, holding up the papers for him to see, although she made sure he couldn’t actually read what was printed on them.

“Hmm…” Itsuki frowned, not looking quite convinced.

Mariana knew enough about Sawada Tsunayoshi to be able to say with certainty that Itsuki took after his mother. He had golden blond hair and soft facial features that made him appear younger than he was. He was smart, and kind, if a bit absentminded- the first time she had met him, he had stuck a paintbrush behind his ear and seemingly forgotten about it almost immediately. In class, his attention wandered, and his friends and teachers were constantly chiding him for losing focus.

Mariana had taken special care to get herself placed in Itsuki’s class, because when she had first arrived in Japan, she had been under the impression that it was _he_ who was going to inherit the Vongola family one day. Now that she knew him a little better, however, it wasn’t difficult to understand why Sachi, the middle child, was favored for that roll over her older brother.

Sometimes, though, he could be surprisingly perceptive. Like now. She knew he knew she was lying. And she was pretty sure he knew that she knew, too.

But he didn’t call her on it. He just shrugged, moved a little closer to the stairs, and said “I can help you with it, if you’d like.”

“I think I’ve got it. Thank you, though.”

“Sure. Hey, how’s it going with Sachi, by the way? Can I ask?”

“Of course you can ask. And it’s good.”

That was also kind of a lie, and they both knew it.

“She made you one of her guardians, right?” Itsuki pressed gently. “So, does that mean you’ve been training at the base?”

“Yes. With Lambo Bovino.”

“Oh! Do you like it, so far?”

Mariana sighed and shrugged, not bothering to lie about it. “It’s not exactly what I expected, I guess. But, I mean, it’s fine. I don’t think he really likes me very much, though.”

“Aw, come on, that can’t be. Uncle Lambo likes everybody.”

“I think it’s that he doesn’t _trust_ me. He told me that it seemed to him like I came here looking for an opportunity to prove myself, not a family.”

“Oh.” Itsuki frowned. “Well, is that true?”

“I don’t know. Kind of, I guess.”

“Kind of?”

Mariana shrugged again. “Both my older brothers, who raised me, are in the Italian mafia. Growing up it’s what I always imagined I would do, too. But the family they’re in is very old-fashioned, and doesn’t allow women to join. So I had to try my luck elsewhere.”

“I see. So, why the Vongolas?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can name at least three other families in this area alone with ties to Italy. Why the Vongolas and not, say, the Cavallones? Or the Carcassas?”

“Because, out of all the other families in this area, the Vongola family is the only one to ever have had a female boss in the past. Well, besides the Millefiore, but they’re not really suited to my tastes. I mean, I would have asked around everywhere, but I wanted to try the Vongolas first, because I agree with their principles the most. It’s not that I was specifically after the rank of guardian. I just wanted to join up, somehow.”

“Did you tell Uncle Lambo that?”

“Mm-mm.”

“Well, maybe you should. I doubt he would mistrust you if he knew you’d put that much thought into it.”

“Maybe.”

“And you should spend more time with Sachi and the others. If he sees you making an effort to make connections with the family, I’m sure he’ll be convinced. Maybe that’ll be enough to convince yourself, too,” he added with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Itsuki-san. That’s good advice.”

“You’re welcome. Hey, would you like to come to the art room and see the painting I’m working on? It’s pretty cool.”

Mariana smiled. “Alright, sure.”

“And after school we can take a look at that Japanese lit test, if it really is giving you trouble.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Besides, I’ll be busy anyway. Got a lot of catching up to do with my new family.”

“Hope you don’t mind if we stop at my place first,” Chrome asked. “It’s not too far out of the way.”

“That’s fine,” Kimi said.

“Do you need anything, while we’re there?”

“No. I think I have everything I need.”

“Alright.”

Her student had been progressing faster than Chrome had anticipated in his lessons. He had natural talent with his powers- by this point, he was replicating every small-scale illusion she was throwing at him, and generating scenarios of his own with surprising depth and clarity. He still needed to work on his stamina, but she was confident that with time the staying power and _realism_ of his illusions would continue to improve.

In all the time she had spent with him, she had found him to be earnest, curious, studious, and genuinely dedicated to the idea of using his powers to help people. She felt that she now knew him well enough to discard her earlier suspicions of him.

Except for the fact that he still persisted in wearing illusions to disguise his identity. She was pretty sure that ‘Kimi’ wasn’t his real name, either. For all that the two of them understood each other by now, he still wouldn’t talk to her about himself at all.

So she had devised a little scheme, to address what she suspected to be the root of the problem without actually broaching the subject head-on. This morning she had told him that she was taking him to the woods on the outskirts of Namimori to practice his illusions in a more challenging environment- which was, in a sense, true- but her real purpose lay in getting him to accompany her to her apartment. However brief, she was sure the visit would do them both some good.

And so they went. Chrome tread the familiar path from the base to home, and Kimi followed her. Up five flights of stairs and down the right-hand hall. Chrome knocked cheerfully on the door all the way at the end before keying in.

“Morning,” she called as she stepped inside. “You guys up?”

“In the kitchen,” Chikusa answered.

“In the bedroom closet,” Ken hollered distantly.

“Well, get out here! We have a guest!”

“I’m coming!”

“Kimi,” Chrome said, turning to him and smiling, “these are my partners, Chikusa, and Ken.”

“Hello,” Kimi said, a bit shyly, bowing to them.

“Hey.”

“Nice to meet you, Kimi-kun.”

“Stay here, ok? I’ll just be gone a moment.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Chrome walked off into the bedroom and, just like they’d planned, Chikusa invited Kimi to sit on the couch.

“Thank you,” he said, and took a seat as offered. Chrome watched through the door, left ajar.

“Can I get you something to drink, Kimi-kun?”

“Ah, I’m fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. Sure you don’t want anything?”

“Thank you, but I don’t need any.”

She let them make small talk for a few minutes more before grabbing her bag and emerging back into the living room.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Let’s go, then.”

“Shall I pick you up at the base this evening, Chrome?”

“Please, thank you.”

“I’m makin’ stew for dinner tonight.”

“That sounds great! I’ll see you both then.”

Chrome kissed first Chikusa, then Ken, on the cheek and waved goodbye, leading Kimi back out the door.

He was especially quiet all the way back down the hall and out of the building. Chrome waited as patiently as she could, letting him have the time he needed to think his thoughts all the way through.

As they approached the treeline, he finally spoke up.

“Sensei?”

“Yes, Kimi-kun?”

“Your, uh…”

“My partners?”

“Y-yes, your partners. They know you’re in the mafia?”

“Yes, they do. They used to be in it too, back in the day. These days both of them have much more boring day jobs, but as guardian I don’t think I could give it up even if I wanted to.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope. We’re a little too far into this thing for any of us to try and back out now, I think.”

The two of them entered the woods, and Chrome pointed out the little path that would take them to a small clearing further in.

“Anyway,” she continued as they walked, “I would never keep a secret like that from them, even if they weren’t mafia. I care about both of them far too much to ever lie to them.”

“But,” Kimi said, frowning, “isn’t it dangerous, for them to know?”

“What do you mean? Dangerous how?”

“It’s the _mafia_. What if your enemies tried to hurt them, to get to you?”

“I understand your concern, Kimi-kun, but personally I don’t think there’s much of a threat of that happening. The kind of enemies we make typically know better than to do something reckless that involves innocent people, and might attract the attention of the authorities. Plus,” she added before he could say anything else, “eveb if anything ever does happen to them, I know I can rely on the rest of the family to help me get them back safely.”

“...But how can you be sure?”

Chrome shrugged. “A long, long time ago, when I was about your age, Tsuna- I mean, Sawada-san- and the others helped Ken, Chikusa, and I get out of a pretty bad living situation. It’s thanks to them that we’re able to have our nice apartment, and that Ken and Chikusa can pursue careers outside of the mafia. I will always be thankful for that. I will always protect my fellow family members, and everyone and everything that they love, from danger. And I know that I can trust them to do the same.”

Kimi was silent. Out of the corner of her eye, Chrome could see ever so slight cracks beginning to form in the illusion he surrounded himself with.

“There are some people in our lives that don’t know what we really do for a living,” she went on. “Ryohei and Kyoko’s mother, for one. Haru’s siblings. Bianchi’s coworkers. Yamamoto’s father suspects, I think, but I don’t think Yamamoto has ever actually told him. Those kinds of people, who aren’t involved with the organization, don’t have to know. In fact, it’s probably better that they don’t. We can still protect them, without their knowledge. But it does mean cutting them off from a big part of who we are.”

“How do you do it? Continue working with the Vongolas, without letting them know?”

“By telling convincing lies. And just enough half-truths that they don’t suspect they’re being lied to. You have to cooperate with the rest of the family, and get their help in keeping the secret. Again, you see why it’s so important that the family members trust each other implicitly.”

“I...yes. I think I understand.”

“Good.”

They emerged into the clearing. With a wave of her hand Chrome wiped away the early morning dew and cleared the ground of dead branches and tree stumps.

“I know I’ve given you a lot to think about,” she said, turning to her student. “You should know that you can always ask me any questions you have, no matter how silly you think they are. Alright? And you’ll always be welcome at the apartment, any time.”

“Thank you, Sensei. I guess I do have some thinking to do.”

Chrome smiled reassuringly. “For now, do your best to put it out of your mind. We have work to do.”

The weekend passed quickly, in a rush of autumn wind. Namimori was peaceful, and Sachi and her guardians spent the time occupied with their own affairs.

On Monday, Hiro was stopped on his way to lunch by the usual class bullies, who took every opportunity to hassle him whenever Sachi wasn’t around. Hiro did his best to stand up to them, but his confidence failed him. He hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best to just ignore them.

“You listening, punk? Or maybe we need to teach you a les-”

“Hey.”

The bullies and Hiro both looked up at the sudden interruption.

“What do you want?” One of them snapped as Nai approached. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a-”

“Shut up,” Nai growled, glaring at him. “Both of you, fuck off.”

“Wha-”

“I said, _fuck off_.”

The bullies hesitated, but in the end decided that tangling with Nai was a bad idea, and they left.

“Yamazaki.”

“Y-yes, Arikawa-san?” Hiro spluttered, trembling in spite of himself.

“Can I, uh...eat lunch with you today?”

“Oh! Oh, ah, sure!”

“Thank you,” Nai muttered gruffly.

“Of course, Arikawa-san. I’m the one who should be thanking you, really.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Hiro brought Nai out to the usual table underneath the oak tree on the grounds, where the others were already waiting for them.

“Hey, Hiro. Hey, Nai.”

“Hello, Sachi-san.”

“Hey.”

“Oh, I see Mariana-senpai is joining us again today, too!”

“What’s nice, Hiro?”

“You mean, ‘what’s _good_ ’, Mari-chan.”

“Ah, right. Sorry. Still getting the hang of the slang.”

“It’s ok. You’re doing really good, actually! Your accent is amazing.”

Nai sat awkwardly on the bench beside Hiro, but it wasn’t long before he began warming up to the lively chatter and friendly atmosphere around the table. A fact which was not lost on Sachi, who silently rejoiced that he was starting to reach out to them. Everything was finally starting to come together.

And, coincidentally enough, halfway through lunch, Kimi turned up. Although none of them had spoken to him that much since the beginning of this whole endeavor, and he always looked different, he was instantly recognizable to the group by his usual green hoodie and dark sunglasses.

“H-hello,” he said, rather tentatively. “I, um...I have something to tell you all. If you don’t mind.”

“What is it, Kimi?” Sachi asked, half-rising from her seat. “Is it important? Is it the Livewires again?”

“No, no. I mean, yes, it is important, but it’s not about them. There’s no danger. It’s about...me.”

“Oh! Well, yeah, dude, if it’s important, please.”

“Ok.”

Kimi straightened up self-consciously, inhaled deeply, and let the illusion around himself fall away. The dark glasses were replaced with round wire frames, the sharp features with those of a young boy, the short hair with dark bangs.

The kids at the table all gasped collectively. For a moment there was silence, and then all of them burst out talking at once.

“I know you!” Sachi shouted. “You’re Kida Minoru! Your sister is in my class!”

“How did you do that?” Kaname demanded. “Can you show me again? Can I learn to do that too?”

“The green hoodie was real the whole time?” Ryota asked incredulously.

“Why didn’t you just tell us who you were from the start?” Hiro wondered.

Minoru shrugged, his face burning bright red. “Didn’t know if I should,” he muttered.

“Why wouldn’t you? I mean, we’re on your side! What did you possibly think we’d say?”

“Hiro, shut up! If he wasn’t ready before, then he wasn’t ready! It’s none of our business! What matters is that he’s told us now.” Sachi grinned at Minoru. “Nice to have you on the team, man.”

“Thanks. Nice to be on the team. I think.”

“Why don’t you come sit down?”

“Yeah, pull up a seat!”

“O-oh, alright…”

Sachi beamed as Minoru slid onto the bench beside Kaname. She couldn’t think of another time, besides the Vongolas’ melee fights, that all seven of them had been together like this.

Things really were starting to come together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way I picture it, whenever the kids first recruited Minoru to join them, and asked for his name, he started to tell them and then panicked halfway through thinking it probably wasn't safe to give his name to strangers, and ended up giving them the first syllable of his last name, and the first syllable of his first name. Ki and Mi respectively, which caused more than a little confusion at first (kimi is a Japanese word meaning 'you').
> 
> Also, the idea of Mariana marching up to the wrong Sawada kid and asking to join their top secret mafia organization was too funny to me not to include : D
> 
> 2 more chapters! Thank you for reading!


	6. Rearrangements

“Alright,” Tsuna said, walking quickly into the base’s cafeteria. “Sorry I’m late. Are we ready to start? Wait, where’s Lambo?”

“Right behind you,” Lambo said, sliding around Tsuna with a Starbucks cup in his hand.

“Those things are gonna kill you one day, you know,” Gokudera sniffed distastefully as he took his seat at the table.

“Better a short life with caramel mochas in it than any kind of life without ‘em.”

“Focus, please. We’re here to talk about Sachi and her guardians.”

“Tsuna-san, have you heard back from Reborn?”

“Yes, I have. He called me back this morning. Basically, he’s in Bolivia and we’re on our own.”

“Well. That’s unfortunate.”

“What about you, Ryohei-san? Heard back from Hibari?”

“Yep. I think it might be a lost cause after all, Tsuna. He’s really, really frustrated with Saito.”

“Maybe you missed the memo, dude, but he’s _always_ like that.”

“Trust me, Lambo. I know him better than anyone here, and even I’ve never seen him like this before. I don’t know how much more of this he’ll put up with.”

Tsuna sighed. “I was really hoping he’d warm up to it after a time. I guess that may have been too much to ask for.”

“Hey, Tsu-kun,” Kyoto interrupted,” sticking her head into the cafeteria, “come here a second, I need to measure you for a new suit. Oh, everyone else is here too, perfect!”

“Kyoko, we’re having a meeting!”

“You can keep on with your meeting! Just stand up and hold out your arms real quick.”

Tsuna rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.

“Anyway,” he continued as Kyoko came over with her tape measure, “I’d like to hear from the rest of you, as well. The group exercises are better, but still definitely not where they should be by this point. Ryohei-san?”

“Yamazaki’s got determination, and he’s a smart, but he chokes under pressure and he’s scared of his own shadow.”

“Well, keep working with him. What about you, Chrome?”

“Kimi- ah, I mean Kida-kun- is doing pretty well. He’s a natural with his powers. And he’s started opening up to us more, which is good. I feel like he could stand to be challenged more, though I’m not quite sure how to go about it.”

“We’ll think of something. Gokudera-kun?”

“Toujo is still struggling to grasp even the most basic concepts,” Gokudera said, shaking his head. “He’s just going about the whole thing all wrong. I’m doing my best to teach him, but it’s going to take a while, Juudaime.”

“Alright. Yamamoto-kun?”

“Arikawa-kun is responding well to everything I’ve taught him...except the sword. No matter how many times I tell him to relax his grip, he just tenses up all over again. I’ve honestly never seen anyone struggle with it as much as he does.”

“So get him another weapon,” Kyoko said over Tsuna’s shoulder.

“I- what?”

“If he isn’t suited to using a sword, then get him something else.”

“He’s the rain guardian, Kyoko!”

“So? Just because you and Squalo-san-”

“Kyoko. He’s the _Vongola _rain guardian.”__

__“And I don’t know how to teach anything other than the sword…”_ _

__“Let someone else teach him, then. Honestly, it’s not that revolutionary of a concept, is it? This kind of thing should be obvious even to people who don’t work with kids. If he’s struggling, you just have to change how you’re teaching him.”_ _

__“That method might work for your kindergarteners, Kyoko, but-“_ _

__“Excuse _me_ , but I’m certified to teach all levels, Gokudera-kun. Just because it’s tradition, and tradition happened to work for all of you, doesn’t mean it’s right for these kids! Lambo-kun, stand up and let me measure you.”_ _

__Tsuna sat back down as Kyoko moved on to Lambo, his brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe Kyoko’s onto something,” he said after a minute._ _

__“Oh, come on, you can’t be serious, Juudaime.”_ _

__“Think about it. Reborn taught me almost everything I know, and he doesn’t have sky flames. And remember when the seven of us were first in training? Remember who it was that trained Hibari?”_ _

__“Oh, yeah. It was Dino.”_ _

__“Right. And he’s not cloud- he’s sky. And he didn’t even really _teach_ Hibari anything, he just fought with him.”_ _

__“Which is probably exactly what Hibari’s been trying to do with Saito,” Ryohei said, his eyes widening in realization._ _

__“Kaname-chan?” Kyoko asked, frowning. “You guys seriously thought it was a good idea to let _Hibari_ train _Kaname-chan_?”_ _

__“You’re right. Maybe we didn’t think this all the way through,” Tsuna admitted. “But, hopefully it’s not too late to turn it around. Here’s what we’re going to do…”_ _

__

__The next day, there was a different kid at Hibari’s door than usual, and Saito Kaname was nowhere to be seen._ _

__“Who are you?” Hibari asked, making a mental note to actually check his email for a message from Ryohei._ _

__“Arikawa Nai,” the kid said. “I’m training to be the next rain guardian.”_ _

__“Yeah, but what are you doing here?”_ _

__“Yamamoto-san told me to come here.”_ _

__“Hmph. Fine. Follow me.”_ _

__Hibari led Nai inside and through to the training area. He took note, as they went, that Nai was carrying a long, blunt staff that could be used as a conduit for flame energy- a weapon that could be either as lethal or as harmless as the wielder chose._ _

__“Do you know how to use that?” he asked, sliding the door closed behind them._ _

__“Not really,” Nai said, hefting the weapon in his hands. “I thought that’s what I was here to learn.”_ _

__Hibari smiled and drew back his fist._ _

__“Good answer.”_ _

__

__“Hello,” Kaname called as she entered the library, “anyone here?”_ _

__“Over here,” Gokudera called back, waving her over._ _

__“Oh, hello! Ooh, this is cool...I didn’t know there was a library here! What are all these books about?”_ _

__“Lots of things. I could show you after the lesson, if you’d like.”_ _

__“Oh, yes please! I’m Saito Kaname,” she said, holding out her hand._ _

__“Gokudera Hayato,” Gokudera returned, shaking her hand. “I’m the current Vongola storm guardian.”_ _

__“What does the storm guardian do?” Kaname asked eagerly. “Is it different than what the cloud guardian does?”_ _

__“Very much so.”_ _

__“Will you tell- Oh. I suppose I have to wait until after we fight to ask questions, don’t I.”_ _

__“Actually, we won’t be fighting at all today. Personally I think it’s important to have a thorough grasp of how the organization works, as well as the theory behind dying will flames, before we jump into any actual practice.”_ _

__Kaname positively beamed._ _

__“So you’ll answer all my questions?!”_ _

__“Absolutely. Why don’t you come sit down, and we’ll get started.”_ _

__

__There were two men waiting in the training room for Hiro on the day of his next lesson; two complete strangers that he hadn’t even seen up in the observation box at any of their melee fights. He paused, worrying that he’d somehow gotten the wrong room._ _

__“Hey,” said one of the strangers loudly as he noticed him in the doorway. “Who’re you?”_ _

__“Coronello-san, there’s no need to yell,” his companion muttered, nudging him with an elbow before turning to Hiro. “Hello there- might you be Yamazaki Hiro, by any chance?”_ _

__“Y-yes,” Hiro stammered, taking a hesitant step forward._ _

__“Oh, perfect! I’m Irie Shouichi, and I’m here to show you how to manage your sun flames.”_ _

__“And I’m Coronello. I’m here to teach you how to use a rifle.”_ _

__“A what?!”_ _

__“A sniper rifle! Perfect weapon for people like you and me, who prefer to stay out of the thick of things, causing distractions and knocking out enemies from afar.”_ _

__“O-oh…”_ _

__“Between the two of us, we’ll make sure you learn everything you need to know,” Irie said with a warm smile. “Let us know if we’re moving too fast, or if you have any questions. Ok?”_ _

__“Ok. Thank you.”_ _

__“Of course!”_ _

__“Come on now, enough talking! Let’s get on with it already!”_ _

__

__“Martial arts?”_ _

__“Um, no, sorry.”_ _

__“Weapons?”_ _

__“Uh-uh.”_ _

__“Can you speak Italian?”_ _

__“No. Sorry.”_ _

__“Hey, it’s ok, kid! These are all things that I can actually teach you. Do you...hold on, tell me your name again?”_ _

__“Kida Minoru.”_ _

__“Chrome said you had a pretty good grasp on your mist powers already, right, Kida?”_ _

__“I don’t know if I would say ‘pretty good’. I kind of know what I’m doing, and I can sort of change things around me. Sometimes.”_ _

__“I’ll take that. So, listen, this is what we’re going to do. I’m gonna have you spend a day or so showing me what you can already do. I’ll use my powers to give you some moving targets to aim at, and stuff like that. And then we’ll get to work on all the stuff you can’t do yet. Sound like a plan?”_ _

__“Yes, sir.”_ _

__“Call me Lambo.”_ _

__“Yes, Lambo-san.”_ _

__Lambo grinned. “I like you already, Kida. Go stand out there in the middle of the room and show me what you’ve got.”_ _

__

__“Hey there! I’m Sasagawa Ryohei.”_ _

__“Mariana Rosanto.”_ _

__Ryohei cheered internally as he shook hands with Mariana. His wish to get the chance to spar with Mariana was about to come true, after all!_ _

__“Nice to meet you, Mariana. Ah, let me also introduce my friends here; this is I-Pin, and this is Chrome!”_ _

__“Hey.”_ _

__“Hello, Mariana-chan.”_ _

__“Hello.”_ _

__“The three of us are going to be training with you from now on,” Ryohei explained. “We’ve seen you fight, and you’re good, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. You need work on supporting teammates in a fight, especially, from what I’m told.”_ _

__“I agree. I’d also like to work on being more aware of my general surroundings, as well, if you don’t mind.”_ _

__“Beginning to get why Lambo was struggling with this one,” I-Pin murmured quietly in Chrome’s ear, making her laugh._ _

__“No problem! Along the way we’ll also be working on getting your proficiency with your flames up, little by little. Do you have any questions before we start?”_ _

__“Not at the moment, no.”_ _

__“Well, if you think of any, don’t hesitate to let one of us know.”_ _

__“Yes, sir.”_ _

__“Let’s do this for our first run through,” Chrome said, stepping forward. “You and Ryohei-san will be on one team, and I-Pin-chan and I will be on the other. Ok?”_ _

__“Ok,” Mariana said, nodding._ _

__“Psst,” Ryohei hissed, moving closer as Chrome and I-Pin walked a short distance away to begin the fight, “do you know anything about boxing?”_ _

__“A bit. I need more practice.”_ _

__“Would you like to spar with me sometime? I could teach you!”_ _

__“I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”_ _

__Ryohei beamed back. “No, thank _you_!”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now Ryohei gets to spar with Mariana, Hibari gets to throw punches at a child who can actually fight back, and Gokudera gets to sit in the library answering endless questions from Kaname- everyone's happy! : )
> 
> Next chapter we'll get to see a lot of other familiar faces, so be looking forward to that!


	7. The Gala

“I feel stupid.”

“I don’t. I feel cool!”

“Yeah, well you don’t _look_ cool.”

“Ryota, shut up. We all look great.”

“Can someone help me with my tie?”

Sachi waved Minoru over and reached out to take care of his tie. “So, what did you end up deciding? Did you tell your family?”

“About the Vongola? Nope. I told them I was out studying with some friends today. But, one day, I still think I’d like to tell them.”

“I hear ya. When that day does come, I’ll be here, for whatever you need.”

“Thanks, Sachi.”

“Sure.”

“Alright, kids,” I-Pin said, clapping her hands loudly. “Time to go. Everyone ready? Alright then, let’s- Wait, wait, Nai, I’m not letting you go anywhere with your hair looking like that.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s all scruffy! You only get one chance to make a first impression, and you’re going to be meeting a lot of very important people at this gala, you know.”

“I-Pin!” Lambo’s voice called from further down the hall. “Stop fussing! We gotta go!”

“Al _right_! Ok, everybody, let’s go.”

Tsuna had recently been informed that, although circumstances had prevented the ninth generation Vongola boss from doing so, it was tradition that once an heir had been chosen, they should be formally presented to the family and their allies as such. 

At first, he hadn’t been too keen on the idea. But once Sachi and her guardians had gotten wind of it, they had insisted that a debut party of sorts be held. Sachi wanted to introduce her friends to her other mentors, aunts and uncles, and family members. Kaname hoped to gain more insight as to how the family structures of the Japanese families worked. Hiro and Mariana agreed that it would be nice to meet some more people and begin making alliances of their own. Minoru and Nai were a bit wary of being in a room with that many mafia members, but had been outvoted and placated with promises that there would be food.

And so here they were, strolling through the base in their new matching suits, fashionably late to their own party.

I-Pin led them in to one of the large training rooms, which had been cleared out and decorated for the occasion. They followed her around the edge of the room, skirting the crowds that gathered there, and up to the small stage area that had been set up at the far end of the room.

Sachi grabbed Hiro’s hand and dragged him up onto the stage, and the others filed in behind them until all seven of them stood, shoulder to shoulder, facing the crowd whose attention was now all on them, with varying levels of enthusiasm.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Tsuna said, emerging from the crowd to join them on the stage, “thank you for joining us today. At this time, allow me to present my daughter, Sawada Sachi, and her chosen guardians. As of now, I officially recognize Sachi as my heir apparent, and the future leader of this family.”

The audience applauded, and Sachi bowed, beaming.

“Come on,” she hissed, grabbing Hiro’s hand again. There are so many people I want you guys to meet!”

“So, what you’re telling me, is that she has a tendency to prioritize her own interests over her group’s goals, that she’s no good in melee fights because she bounces from opponent to opponent as she sees fit, and that she has trouble following orders. Right?”

“Right.”

“Hibari, you’re just describing a completely normal cloud guardian.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are! You’re exactly the same way!”

“No, I’m not!”

Dino rolled his eyes. Another common trait of cloud guardians was stubbornness, but he knew it was pointless to bring that up with Hibari.

“Well, you’re not working with her any more, are you? How about your other student?”

Hibari shrugged dismissively. “Not much better. He has a long way to go before he could even dream of landing a hit on me. But at least he’s quieter.”

“That’s the spirit. Thanks for all your hard work, as usual.”

“Shut up. I’ll bite-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“Dino-san!”

“Hey!” Dino grinned as Ryohei approached. “Long time no see. How’ve you been?”

“Fine, fine, thanks for asking. And you? All good over at Cavallone HQ?”

“Yep, all good.”

“That’s good, that’s good. And how are you this fine afternoon, Hibari?”

“Mm.”

“You know, Arikawa-kun looked really good in the last group fight we held! A big improvement, really!”

“So he can manifest flames now. So what. Not what I call a big improvement.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll have him whipped into shape in no time flat. Thanks for your hard work.”

“I’m leaving,” Hibari scoffed.

“Alright, if you must. Bye.”

“What’d you ever do to make him like you so much?” Dino asked with a smile.

“Oh, he just tolerates me. I don’t think he really _likes_ anyone.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“I’m just glad he deigned to show up today at all. Sometimes you just gotta take what you can get, yeah?”

“Very true. I’d love to hear a little more about these guardians of Sachi-chan’s, if you’ve got the time?”

“Oh, sure! Care to discuss over drinks?”

“I’d like nothing better!”

“That’s Gianini-san, the inventor,” Sachi said, pointing. “And that's my Aunt Bianchi, talking to Aunt Haru. And that’s Uncle Skull, from the Carcassa family!”

“Is he wearing lipstick?” Ryota asked, squinting, while Sachi waved cheerfully to Skull.

“Yeah. What, you got a problem with that?”

“Uh, no. But...why?”

“I think he looks cool,” Kaname said, and Minoru nodded shyly in agreement.

“He is cool,” Sachi said. “He’s a stuntman in his spare time, or something like that. He’s the one who taught me how to ride a grav bike when I was a kid.”

“A what?”

“An anti gravity motorbike, dude.”

“That does sound really cool.”

“Do we get to learn how to do that?”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t!”

“Hiro, don’t be a baby.”

“Hey! Kid!”

Sachi turned to see who had called out to her, gasped, and darted off cheerfully through the crowd. Not wanting to lose her, her friends hurried after, but they faltered at the sight of the group she was approaching. Out of everyone in the room, this group possessed a singularly deadly and belligerent energy.

But that didn’t stop Sachi. She skipped right up to them and threw her arms around what appeared to be the leader of the little band, a man whose every inch of exposed skin was covered in rough, wicked scars.

“You came!” Sachi said delightedly.

“Yeah, yeah,” the stranger said, rolling his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

“Thank you! I owe you guys one, for sure. Hey, guys!” Sachi waved her friends closer, grinning ear to ear. “C’mere, meet the Varia! They’re the Vongola’s sister family, the elite assassin squad!”

“The _what_ ,” Hiro hissed, tugging at Nai’s sleeve.

“Assassin squad.”

“What the _heck_ do we need assassins for?!”

“I dunno. We’ve only just met.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kaname said, stepping forward. “We’re Sachi-chan’s guardians.”

“This is your crew?” said the man with the scars, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Don’t look like much to me.”

“No, they’re great! Trust me.”

“Look, Kid, just because your old man thinks you’re ready doesn’t mean you’ve got me convinced.”

“Don’t listen to him,” said one of the others, a man with long, sweeping silver hair. “He wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

“Squalo, shut you fucking mouth before I shut it for you.”

Sachi laughed. “Thanks, Uncle Xanxus, Uncle Squalo.”

“Your name is Squalo?” Mariana asked, raising an eyebrow. “As in….what’s the Japanese word for ‘squalo’?”

“‘Same’.”

“You got a problem with my fuckin’ name?”

“No. Just wondering.”

“You know what, I think I like these kids.”

“Shut up, Bel. No one asked you.”

“I didn’t know Sachi was friendly with the Varia,” Uni giggled, gesturing over to where Sachi stood with her guardians. “Did you?”

“Oh, yes. She always has been.”

“I confess, I’m surprised! It seems so out of character for Xanxus to take a liking to...well, anybody, let alone a girl like Sachi!”

Tsuna grimaced. “When she and Itsuki were very young they were playing in the base, and ran into Xanxus and Squalo. Itsuki was scared of them, and started crying-“

“Understandable.”

“-so Sachi ran over and started kicking Squalo in the shin.”

“Oh, did she really!”

“Yeah. Fortunately, Xanxus thought it was hilarious, and ever since he always makes a point to see her whenever he’s in the area. And she goes to visit him whenever she’s in Italy.”

“That’s sweet! How old was she, when this shin-kicking incident occurred?”

“Probably about four.”

“Oh my god. That’s precious.”

“I don’t know if that’s the word I’d use for it, Uni-san.”

“Yes, well, it’s the word I’ve picked, and I’m sticking to it. Maybe Sachi will be the one to reunite the Varia and the Vongola, once and for all.”

“Maybe. I hope so. I really hope so.”

“Worried that you’re making a mistake, choosing Sachi?” Uni asked knowingly.

“A little bit, yeah. Do you think she’s the right one for the job?”

“Tsuna. The girl’s been friends with the Varia since she was four. Of course she’s the right one for the job. Frankly, the only thing that worries me is how long it took for you to arrive at that conclusion.”

“I don’t know about those Varia people,” Hiro said uncertainly, glancing over his shoulder at them. “They seem kinda...oh, I don’t know how to say it…”

“Scary?”

“Arikawa-san, you’re scared of them?”

Nai shrugged. “Not particularly? Just not sure yet if I trust them.”

“Hmm…”

Nai wove his way through the crowd towards the buffet table, Hiro trailing after him anxiously the whole way.

“I don’t know if I really trust any of these people,” he muttered sullenly. “They’re all mafia, after all.”

“So’s Sachi. You don’t trust her?”

”Coronello-sensei keeps telling me I have to be more aware of my surroundings. That probably includes Sachi-san too, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re overreacting. Here, drink this.”

“What is it? There’s no alcohol in it, is there?”

“Don’t think so.” Nai sniffed curiously at the punch bowl ladle and shrugged. “Probably not,” he said, pouring a glass for himself, too.

“Arikawa-san, you’re not very good at this whole reassurance thing, are you.”

“Sorry.”

“Hello there, Arikawa-kun, Yamazaki-kun,” Yamamoto said cheerfully, approaching the table. “How are the two of you doing today?”

“Well, thank you sir.”

“Good.”

“Good, glad to hear it. Ah, Yamazaki-kun, Shouichi was looking for you earlier. Have you seen him?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ll go look for him now, though.”

“Um,” Nai said awkwardly as Hiro vanished back into the crowd and Yamamoto began filling a plate for himself. “Yamamoto-san?”

“Yes?”

“Did Sachi ever talk to you, about...that day, that I, uh, ran out on you?”

“Oh! Yes, she did. She didn’t quite give me all the details, but I think I’ve got the gist of the situation.”

“Right. Well, I never actually apologized for that, so. I’m sorry.”

“Your apology is appreciated, but entirely unnecessary, I promise. I’m not angry with you.”

“Oh. Ok.”

“I’m actually glad you brought that up, because it reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to tell you! You know, our operations are split between Italy and Japan, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, because we always have people coming and going, we always make sure to have rooms available for those who are staying in Japan. And since you and your friends are official Vongola now, you get access to those rooms, too.”

Nai blinked. “So...what, exactly?”

“So, it’s not much, but I figure it beats sleeping on the streets.”

“But you said those rooms are for guests!”

“I said, they’re for family. Which you are! And there will always be a place for you here, if you need it.”

“Oh...I-I don’t know what to say…”

“You could start with ‘thank you’.”

“Thank you, Yamamoto-san.”

“You’re welcome. That’s what family is for.”

“Hey, Minoru, what is this?”

“It’s mochi.”

“Mo-chee. Is it good?”

“Well, I like it. It’s a dessert. Try some.”

“...It’s weird.”

“Good weird?”

“Haven’t decided yet.”

Minoru smiled as Mariana kept chewing, her brow furrowed in deep thought. He still wasn’t sure if his decision to join the Vongolas had been the right one, but he was at least glad to have made friends with the rest of the guardians, if nothing else.

“Mari-san, do you miss Italy?”

“Sometimes. I hear from my brothers a lot, so it’s not like I’m lonely.”

“Do your brothers know you’re in the mafia?”

“Mm-hm. ‘Cause both of them are, too.”

“Oh, I see. That seems to be the case with most of the people here.”

“Mm, speaking of brothers…”

“What?”

“It’s Itsuki,” she said, waving at someone through the crowd.

“Oh, you mean Sawada Itsuki? Is he here?”

“Yeah. See, here he comes now.”

“Hello, Mariana-san!” Itsuki said, moving over to them. “Oh, and Kida-san too!”

“Hello, Itsuki.”

“Hey.”

“This is my little brother, Rei.”

“Hi!”

Minoru smiled. Rei and Sachi looked very alike.

“Nice to meet you, Rei. You must be proud of your big sister, I’m sure.”

“Oh, yeah! I think it’s awesome that Sachi is going to be boss one day. When I’m old enough, I’m going to join, too! I guess I don’t get to be a guardian, though. But it’s ok, because I’ll still do a bunch of training and go back and forth to Italy to do super-secret missions and stuff.”

“I’ll look forward to working with you, then.”

“How often would you say your dad goes to Italy?”

“A lot. Like, every couple of weeks.”

“Wow, that seems like a lot.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to see your brothers more often than you thought.”

“Maybe so. I just hope none of those super-secret missions are about their families.”

“You could make an alliance, if you know their families!” Rei suggested enthusiastically.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah! I could teach you, if you want!”

“Sounds great,” Mariana said, grinning at Itsuki over Rei’s head. “I’d love to learn.”

It was nearly two hours before Sachi was able to escape from the endless congratulations and the catching up with distant friends and grab a moment to herself, off in the corner with a glass of whatever fruity juice her mother had put in that punch bowl.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like mafia parties- she absolutely loved mafia parties, and had ever since she was a toddler- but they did tend to drag on. Too many people with too much to talk about under the same roof. Sometimes she just needed a few minutes of peace and quiet, to sit and process. She’d be fine in a little bit. She’d wade back into the crowd after she finished her juice, she told herself.

“Well look who it is,” said a familiar voice, making her turn her head. “The lady of the hour herself.”

“Hi, Uncle Reborn,” she said grinning. “When did you get in?”

“Just now. Just in time to find the guest of honor hiding out in the corner.”

“Just for a sec. I just wanted some space for a minute.”

“Understandable.” Reborn leaned up against the wall beside Sachi, folding his long arms across his chest. “It’s not every day you get debuted as a mafia heiress.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You’re going to have to work hard, you know. It won’t be easy.”

“I’ll do whatever I need to.”

“Good.”

“Hey Uncle Reborn, do you know who that girl is? Over there?”

“If I recall correctly, she’s one of Dino’s recent recruits. I’ve heard good things about her. He probably brought her along to get acquainted with the Vongolas. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. I’ve never seen her around before.”

“It’s because you think she’s cute, huh.”

“Nuh-uh! I was curious!”

“Well, there’s no need to get defensive. She really is quite pretty.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

“You should go say something to her.”

“Nope, nope, no thanks.”

“I mean it. The two of you are going to be working together, you should get introduced.”

“Maybe later.”

“Alright, alright, fine.” Reborn said, smiling.

“Do you really have to tease me like that all the time?”

“Of course I do. That’s my job.”

“No, no it’s not.”

“Yes it is. Ask Tsuna, or Dino, and they’ll tell you.”

“Oh, what _ever_.” Sachi rolled her eyes, and took another sip of her juice. “Still though, it’s nice to have you back again. You’ll help me learn to be a good boss, like you did for my dad and Uncle Dino, right?”

“You couldn’t stop me even if you wanted to.”

“Ok. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Here’s lesson number one: it’s bad manners for the boss to leave her own party early.”

“I know, I know. Just, give me one more minute. Let me get my thoughts in order. Then I’ll go back to being Boss Sachi.”

“I understand. Take all the time you need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand the end! We're done! 
> 
> Thank you for reading this fic, and for sticking around while I learn to balance working full time with writing. I'm glad to have had the chance to write this fic- it was a lot of fun : )


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